How to Give Your Cat Eye Drops

Simple tips on giving your cat medication safely and efficiently

Co-authored by Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Last Updated: September 17, 2023 Approved

There is no cat in the world that likes being restrained and watching a big drop of something come at her eye. Your cat’s extreme dislike for eye drops might have you thinking you need to go to your veterinarian in order to get the job done. However, with some patience and gentle restraint, administering eye drops is something you can do at home. It may take a few tries before your cat becomes a willing participant, but her eyes will feel much better when you can successfully give her the eye drops.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Holding Your Cat

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1
Hold your cat in your lap. How well you restrain your cat will play a big role in your ability to give her eye drops. One way to hold her is in your lap. When she is resting comfortably in your lap, place one of your forearms across her body to keep her in place. The length of her body should be against your abdomen.
- You can sit wherever is most comfortable for you—couch, chair, bed, etc.
- The forearm across her body should be your non-dominant arm. For example, if you are right-handed, your left forearm should lie across her body.
- If you think she is going to scratch, wrap her in a towel so that only her head is sticking out.^{[1]
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- If you would like to sit on the floor but holding your cat in your lap won’t work, try positioning her such that she is in between your knees and unable to get away.^{[2]
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2
Place your cat on a table or raised surface. It may be easier and more comfortable for you to have your cat on a surface that is about at your waist level. If the surface is a little slippery, place a towel down first so your cat has some traction under her. You can also wrap her in a towel.
- It may take some trial and error to determine whether holding your cat in your lap or restraining her on a table will work best.
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3
Position your cat’s head. To give your cat eye drops, you will need to hold her head steady with your non-dominant hand. Place the thumb of this hand on one side of her jaw and your fingers on the other side. In effect, her head should be cradled firmly in your hand, with your hand under her chin.
- Gently, tilt her head upward to make it easier to give the eye drops.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Giving Your Cat Eye Drops

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1
Clean your cat’s eyes. For the eye drops to be most effective, your cat’s eyes will need to be free of discharge. If necessary, clean your cat’s eyes by putting a small amount of sterile eyewash solution on a cotton ball and wiping around her eyes.^{[4]
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- Along with the eye drops, your veterinarian would already have recommended an eyewash solution to clean your cat’s eyes.
2
Open your cat’s eyelids. Use the thumb of your non-dominant hand to pull down your cat’s lower eyelid. This will create a small pouch into which you can administer the eye drops.^{[5]
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- Although convenient, it is not necessary for the drops to go into the pouch. The drops will disperse quickly across your cat’s eye, so you do not have to worry about placing the drops in a particular spot on her eye.
3
Position the applicator tip above your cat’s eye. Hold the applicator tip about two centimeters (one inch) above your cat’s eye. It is very important that you not touch your cat’s eye with the tip.^{[6]
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- If you’d like, aim the tip towards the pouch you created with your thumb.^{[7]
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- It may help to rest the heel of your dominant hand on top of your cat’s head. This will allow you to have a steady aim of the drops and prevent you from accidentally touching your cat’s eye with the applicator tip.
- Place the bottle cap to the side on a clean surface.^{[8]
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Administer the eye drops. Squeeze the bottle and quickly dispense the prescribed number of eye drops into your cat’s eye.^{[9]
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- If both of her eyes need to be treated, repeat the same procedure to put drops in the other eye.
- If your cat seems restless and refuses to be still, consider trying again later when she is more calm. You do not want her moving around so much that you can’t get the drops into her eye.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Knowing What to do After Giving the Eye Drops

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Even if your cat was a willing participant in getting the eye drops, she probably will not want to stay still after you’ve finished giving her the drops. In fact, she may want to start rubbing at her eyes. It is important that you keep her restrained gently until the drops have a chance to disperse over her eyes.^{[10]
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You may think that massaging your cat’s eyes will help spread the eye drops across the eyes.^{[11]
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3
Give your cat a treat. A good way to distract your cat after giving her the eye drops is to give her something tasty to eat. Your cat would love a scrumptious treat,^{[12]
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Research source} like a small piece of tuna, after the perceived indignity of receiving eye drops. You could also time the eye drop administration with mealtime so that you could reward her with a meal afterwards.^{[13]
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- You will probably need to give your cat eye drops several times a day, so be judicious with your treats. You do not want her to fill up on treats each time you administer the drops.
Usually, eye drops are not uncomfortable for cats. If anything, your cat will blink a lot after the drops hit her eyes. However, if the drops are bothersome, she may paw at her eyes or even try to rub her face across the floor. Contact your veterinarian if your cat becomes extremely bothered after getting the eye drops.

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Question

Can I give cat human eye drops?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

The problem is not so much the drops are for humans, it's more that an accurate diagnosis is needed. Sore eyes have many causes and simply putting in an eye drop is unlikely to be effective. Indeed, it may delay getting a diagnosis, by which time permanent damage may have occurred. Many (but not all) human eye drops are unlikely to cause harm in the cat, but there use is not recommended.

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Question

How can I treat my cat's eye infection?

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS
Veterinarian
Dr. Elliott, BVMS, MRCVS is a veterinarian with over 30 years of experience in veterinary surgery and companion animal practice. She graduated from the University of Glasgow in 1987 with a degree in veterinary medicine and surgery. She has worked at the same animal clinic in her hometown for over 20 years.

Pippa Elliott, MRCVS

Veterinarian

Expert Answer

The most important factor is keeping the eye clean so that it doesn't gum shut. To do this, boil some water, let it cool, then wipe each eye with a clean piece of cotton wool soaked in that water. A vet is the best person to diagnose the nature of the infection and determine exactly which medical treatment is most appropriate.

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Tips

Giving your cat eye drops can be very challenging.^{[14]
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Ask your veterinarian for additional advice if your cat is absolutely resistant to getting eye drops.

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Consider asking a friend to either hold your cat or give the eye drops.

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Warnings

Your cat may try to bite or swing at you when you try to give her eye drops. Keeping her wrapped snugly in a towel will prevent you from getting bitten or scratched.

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